Banerjee Joins GFSI as Senior Manager for U.S. and Canada

The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) has announced the addition of Rishi Banerjee as GFSI senior manager for the US and Canada. According to GFSI, this represents a significant step in GFSI's ongoing strategy to further implementation at a regional level while advancing harmonization at the global level. Meanwhile, the opening of this senior position dedicated to GFSI’s efforts in North America is a strong signal of the region’s importance in the advancement of food safety globally.

Banerjee will join the CGF’s Washington D.C. office, a base to further GFSI’s partnerships with both with regulators and food safety leaders from across the country. “With the US/Canada region being so critical, I am truly excited about the potential for growth,” Banerjee said. “I’m looking forward to building on the existing relationships we have with stakeholders and forging new ones. As new Senior Manager, I’m excited to be the go-to person for the region, improving on operational efficiency.”

Banerjee is a well-known figure in the food and regulatory space, joining GFSI as an experienced government affairs and policy professional based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. He has a proven track record of fostering public-private partnerships, while his background in microbiology, food industry and regulatory agencies has allowed him to support advocacy initiatives relating to food safety, nutrition and environmental regulations.

Prior to joining the CGF, Banerjee served as consulting manager at Savan Group, a management consulting firm, where he worked with numerous federal agencies to advise their rulemaking activities. He has held both technical and policy positions at FiscalNote, the American Frozen Food Institute, and USDA.

GFSI is powered by The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), a global industry network working with its 400+ member companies to support Better Lives Through Better Business. It brings together key actors of the food industry to collaboratively drive continuous improvement in food safety management systems around the world with a vision of safe food for consumers everywhere. The GFSI community works on a volunteer basis and is composed of the world's leading food safety experts from retail, manufacturing and food service companies, as well as international organizations, governments, academia and service providers to the global food industry. www.mygfsi.com

FDA Traces Romaine Lettuce Outbreak to At Least One Specific Farm

FDA has reported new results from its investigation of the multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 linked to romaine lettuce: it has traced the source of the contamination to at least one specific farm. Based on these and other new findings, the agency has updated its recommendations for the romaine lettuce industry and consumers.

FDA identified a positive sample result for the outbreak strain in the sediment of a local irrigation reservoir used by a single farm owned and operated by Adam Bros. Farms in Santa Barbara County. The agency will be sending investigators back to this farm for further sampling.

However, a statement from Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. and FDA Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas stated, “It’s important to note that although this is an important piece of information, the finding on this farm doesn’t explain all illnesses, and our traceback investigation will continue as we narrow down what commonalities this farm may have with other farms that are part of our investigation.”

While the analysis of the strain found in the people who got ill and the sediment in one of this farm’s water sources is a genetic match, FDA’s traceback work suggests that additional romaine lettuce shipped from other farms could also likely be implicated in the outbreak. Therefore, the water from the reservoir on this single farm doesn’t fully explain what the common source of the contamination, the statement added. FDA is continuing to investigate what commonalities there could be from multiple farms in the region that could explain this finding in the water, and potentially the ultimate source of the outbreak.

The positive sample from the single farm was collected by the FDA and analyzed by the CDC and determined to match the outbreak strain of E. coli through whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis. Adams Bros. Farms is cooperating with the FDA in this outbreak investigation and hasn’t shipped any romaine lettuce since Nov. 20. The company has committed to recalling products that may have come into contact with the agricultural water reservoir, and FDA is working with the farm to determine how the contamination occurred and whether corrective actions are needed before their next growing season.

As of Dec. 13, the investigation yielded records from five restaurants in four states that have identified 11 distributors, nine growers, and eight farms as potential sources of contaminated romaine lettuce. Currently, no single establishment is common across the investigated supply chains. “This indicates that although we have identified a positive sample from one farm to date, the outbreak may not be explained by a single farm, grower, harvester, or distributor,” the statement said.

While this new information does not fully explain the outbreak, it does allow FDA to revise its recommendations for consumers slightly. Given the identification of the outbreak pathogen on the farm in Santa Barbara county, the farms identified in the traceback, and the fact that the lettuce on the market at the peak of the outbreak should be beyond shelf-life the agency feels there is no longer a reason for consumers to avoid romaine lettuce from San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz and Ventura Counties, in California, provided it was harvested after Nov. 23. If consumers, retailers, and food service facilities are unable to confirm that romaine lettuce products are from unaffected sources, FDA urges that these products not be purchased, or if the products have already purchased, they should be discarded or returned to the place of purchase.

Romaine lettuce that was harvested outside of Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Barbara Counties in California after Nov. 23 doesn’t appear to be related to the current outbreak. Hydroponically and greenhouse-grown romaine also doesn’t appear to be related to the current outbreak. There’s no reason for consumers or retailers to avoid using romaine harvested from these sources.

As of Dec. 13, the outbreak had resulted in 59 people becoming ill in 15 states, with the last reported illness onset date being Nov. 16. FDA, CDC, and its partners are also coordinating the investigation with Canadian health and food safety authorities who are also looking into a related outbreak.

Gluten Facts Illustrated

Going gluten-free has been a popular trend in recent years, but not all people who have switched to the diet are fully aware of the facts about gluten, and whether or not a gluten-free diet can benefit their health. There’s a lot more to it than meets the eye, and that is why the team at MedAlertHelp.org created an infographic of facts about gluten.

Being aware of the hidden sources of gluten is important for people with celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and wheat allergies. Consuming gluten would cause them to bloat, have abdominal pain and headaches, feel tired, be constipated and/or have diarrhea, have joint and muscle pain, and have skin problems.

These are just some of the symptoms gluten can cause, but should everyone stop eating it? What are the risks and benefits of a gluten-free diet? What should you avoid and what should you eat if you are intolerant to gluten? Which food substitutes are available, where can you get them, and which brands offer the best gluten-free products?

Nominations Being Accepted for Black Pearl Award

Each year, the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) honors a single company with its most prestigious award, The Black Pearl Award, in recognition of that company’s efforts in advancing food safety and quality through consumer programs, employee relations, educational activities, adherence to standards and support of the goals and objectives of IAFP.

To qualify, nominees must be a corporate entity currently involved in or with the food industry, have employees with active membership with IAFP, and not be a previous Black Pearl Award recipient. Self-nominations are encouraged.

TACOMA, Wash. — Larry Treleven, vice president of Sprague Pest Solutions, was recently honored by a pair of pest management industry trade associations for his numerous contributions and achievements to an $8 billion industry that protects people, food and property from pests and the harmful diseases they transmit.

The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) recognized Treleven as the 2018 State Policy Affairs Representative (SPAR) of the Year for his diligent work representing the industry with regulators and elected representatives across Washington State, Wyoming, Utah, Oregon, Montana and Idaho.

A member of the industry since 1971, Treleven has long represented the industry’s interests at the federal, state and local level, helping shape and reach common-sense solutions on regulations that benefit and safeguard business owners, consumers and the environment.

Treleven has served on numerous boards and legislative affairs and public policy committees for the NPMA, Washington State Pest Management Association (WSPMA), Oregon Pest Control Association, Utah Pest Management Association, Pest Control Operators of California and the Professional Pest Management Alliance.

Treleven was also recently awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the WSPMA after decades of contributions to advancing the professionalism and perception of the pest management industry in the Evergreen State.

“I am very appreciative of both these honors that have been bestowed on me,” said Treleven. “Consumers have more confidence in an industry when it is regulated and when you reason together to come to a solution it benefits everyone. I enjoy what I do but there is more work to be done and I look forward to the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead.”